1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flat displays, and particularly, to flat displays employing a plasma display panel, an electroluminescence panel, a liquid crystal panel, a fluorescent display tube, or light emitting diodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The sizes and capacities of flat displays are increasing, due to the requirement for full-color displays, and the power consumption of the flat displays is increasing-accordingly. The power consumption must be minimized.
For example, in the plasma display panel, to erase the whole screen of the flat display, non-display data may be entered to the display, or a signal DISPENA may be supplied to turn OFF the output of an address driver of the display. Once the screen is wholly erased, no address pulse is applied to form wall charges. Sustain pulses, however, are applied even thereafter, although they do nothing on the display. These sustain pulses waste electric power in the conventional flat displays.
An object of the present invention is to reduce the power consumption of a flat display by eliminating useless charging currents, as well as eliminating reactive currents caused by useless switching, from a display panel.
According to the present invention, there is provided a flat display employing at least one high voltage, different from logic voltages, wherein the flat display comprises a voltage detection unit for detecting the high voltage; and a drive control signal control unit for controlling drive control signals of the flat display in response to the detected high voltage.
The flat display may further comprise an internal power supply controlling unit for controlling an operation of an internal power supply circuit. The internal power supply controlling unit may control an operation of the internal power supply circuit by changing power supply control signals in response to the detected high voltage and the other drive voltages which are produced by the high voltage. The drive control signal control unit may control an operation of a display panel driving unit by changing the drive control signals in response to the detected high voltage and the other drive voltages which are produced by the high voltage.
The drive control signal control unit and the internal power supply controlling unit may stop circuit operation through a control circuit if the detected high voltage is below a specific value set in the flat display, and start the circuit operation through the control circuit if the detected high voltage reaches the specific value, and thereby the drive control signals may be controlled in response to changes in the detected high voltage. The drive control signal control unit and the internal power supply controlling unit may store at least first and second specific values to be compared with the detected high voltage, the first specific value being used at a rise of the high voltage and the second specific value being used at a fall of the high voltage.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a flat display employing at least one high voltage different from logic voltages, wherein the flat display comprises an external signal detection unit for detecting a specific signal input from the external of the flat display; and a drive control signal control unit for controlling drive control signals of the flat display in response to the detected specific signal.
The flat display may further comprise an internal power supply controlling unit for controlling an operation of an internal power supply circuit. The internal power supply controlling unit may control an operation of the internal power supply circuit by changing power supply control signals in response to the detected specific signal. The drive control signal control unit may control an operation of a display panel driving unit by changing the drive control signals in response to the detected specific signal. The drive control signal control unit and the internal power supply controlling unit may stop circuit operation through a control circuit if the specific signal is at a first level, and start the circuit operation through the control circuit if the detected specific signal is at a second level, and thereby the drive control signals may be controlled in response to a level of the specific signal.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a flat display employing at least one high voltage different from logic voltages, wherein the flat display comprises a display data checking unit for checking display data input to the flat display from the external; and a drive control signal control unit for controlling drive control signals of the flat display in accordance with the checked display data.
The flat display may further comprise an internal power supply controlling unit for controlling an operation of an internal power supply circuit. The internal power supply controlling unit may control an operation of the internal power supply circuit by changing power supply control signals in response to the checked result of the display data. The drive control signal control unit may control an operation of a display panel driving unit by changing the drive control signals in response to the checked result of the display data. The drive control signal control unit and the internal power supply controlling unit may stop circuit operation through a control circuit if the display data is not input to the flat display during a spesific period, and start the circuit operation through the control circuit if the display data is input to the flat display, and thereby the drive control signals may be controlled in response to the checked result of the display data.
In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a flat display for displaying data with a high voltage and drive voltages produced from the high voltage, wherein the flat display comprises a first high voltage decision unit for determining whether or not the high voltage is at a specific value or a specific range after a power supply is turned on and initialization is carried out; a first drive voltage decision unit for determining whether or not the drive voltages are at specific values or specific ranges; a second high voltage decision unit for determining whether or not the high voltage is kept at the specific value or the specific range after the start of protective operation of an internal power supply circuit that generates the drive voltages; a second drive voltage decision unit for determining whether or not the drive voltages are kept at the specific values or the specific ranges; and a drive control signal control unit for controlling drive control signals of the flat display in response to the decided results of the decision units.
The control of the internal power supply circuit may be carried out together with the control of the drive control signals in response to the decided results of the second drive voltage decision unit.
The flat display may be initialized when the second high voltage decision unit determines that the high voltage is not kept at the specific value or the specific range, and an internal power of the internal power supply circuit and the drive voltages may be cut OFF when the second drive voltage decision unit determines that the drive voltages are not kept at the specific values or the specific ranges.
The flat display may further comprise a time compensation unit for compensating for the time between the instant that the high voltage is applied until the drive voltages reach the specific values. The specific value compared with the high voltage in the first high voltage decision unit may differ from the specific value compared with the high voltage in the second high voltage decision unit.
The flat display may be a three-electrode surface discharge AC plasma display. The three-electrode surface discharge AC plasma display may comprise first and second electrodes arranged in parallel with each other; and third electrodes orthogonal to the first and second electrodes, the first electrode being commonly connected together, and the second electrodes being arranged for display lines, respectively, wherein the display has a surface discharge structure employing wall charges as memory.
The three-electrode surface discharge AC plasma display may further comprise a first substrate, and the first and second electrodes being arranged in parallel with each other on the first substrate and paired for respective display lines; a second substrate spaced apart from and facing the first substrate, and the third electrodes being arranged on the second substrate away from and orthogonal to the first and second electrodes; a wall charge accumulating dielectric layer covering the surfaces of the first and second electrodes; a phosphor formed over the second substrate; a discharge gas sealed in a cavity defined between the first and second substrates; and cells formed at intersections where the first and second electrodes cross the third electrodes.